This is a landmark issue for STREET RODDER. It's not the first time we have had a post '48 car on the cover but it is the first time our vaunted Road Tour car is a post '48--to be exact, a '52 Chevy Bel Air. For 13 years we have proven you can take product manufactured in our industry and build yourself a hot rod. One that you would be proud of and feel safe to drive to coffee and donuts on an early Saturday morning or pack the trunk and drive across country to a regional or national event and home again.
Taking a look at the street rod industry we found out rather quickly that you can do anything from a complete turnkey frame and suspension upgrade to bolt-on chassis upgrades that included front and rear suspensions, engine and tranny swaps, and interior upgrades. The '49-54 Chevy may well be to the post-'48 crowd what the '32 Ford is to the pre-'49 fans--an iconic car that has a list as long as your driveway of components to build a car from scratch; although right now you must supply the sheetmetal (but who knows what the future holds).
On page 48 of this issue you will see the Road Tour `52 Bel Air that will give you some keys on where to begin the process on building your own. This story concentrates on where to locate parts while at the same time we ask longtime hot rod artist Thom Taylor to give us some ideas to launch our own build. (If you are wondering where to find a car's model number: 1942-48 under floor mat forward of passenger side of front seat; 1949-57 on driver's side front door pillar.)
Let's take a look at some history of the '49-54 Chevy. Beginning in 1949 Chevrolet was very proud of their first all-new post-war car. There were 14 new models divided into the Fleetline and Styleline series; the Fleetline had both two- and four-door fastbacks, while the Styleline was represented by sedans, coupes, station wagons, and a convertible. There were two trim levels based on the Deluxe and a Special. Chevrolet also sold 1.1 million cars in '49 making it the number one automobile manufacturer in the country.
The framerails were built with what was called box girder construction, a design that dated to 1936 and would continue through 1954. From '49 through '54 the wheelbase was 115 inches, front tread was 57 inches for '49-52, 56.6 inches for '53-54 while the rear tread for '49-54 was 58.75 inches.
Art Morrison Enterprises expanded...
Art Morrison Enterprises expanded the availability of its GT-Sport chassis line to include a new design for 1949-54 Chevrolets. (Info: 800-929-7188; http://artmorrison.com)
The steering box bolted to the left framerail and had a draglink, similar to what you would expect with a solid axle, which attached to a bellcrank mounted to the center of the crossmember, which in turn was connected to the spindles by individual tie rods.
In the rear, more engineering leftover from the '30s can be found in a closed driveline. The torque tube is solidly attached to the rearend (like early Fords) and connects to the rear of the transmission with a ball and socket arrangement.
At first blush it would appear that sliding an open-drive rearend in place would be a simple swap. However, because of the mounts used on the original rear axle housing the center bolts of the springs aren't really in the center of the springs and installing a substitute axle in the normal manner will result in the wheels being too far forward in the fender openings.
The first Bel Air two-door hardtop was introduced in 1950. There were few substantial changes to the '50 model but such details as the hubcap paint fill was changed from red to yellow, new taillight lenses, and the decklid handle changed. There were other changes to the hood emblem and the vertical bars between the parking lights with the larger bumper guards. The interior was very similar but the '50 Bel Air did have chromed bows on the headliner.